Ride Along on Dallas' Midnight Express to Mexico to Monterrey.

"We open our eyes. 'We need money for the bridge. Are you going to kick in?' the van driver is telling us. 'Everybody needs to give me $15,' says Don D, a thin, light-skinned man in his 50s. With a drooping mustache, faded jeans, and pointy-toed boots, he looks every bit the part of an aging vaquero. But in truth, he's a camionete operator riding herd over six passengers who are risking an illegal border crossing as part of a cheap ride from Dallas into Mexico. The money he's asking for isn't for the fare, tolls, or even gas. It's bribe money for the Mexican customs inspectors. Nearly everyone on the bus is bringing household good and appliances that, they believe, are subject to import taxes. If the taxes aren't paid, those belongings become contraband when they enter Mexico. . ."